Rumors:
Grand Breakthrough In The Astronomical Sciences Within Three-Point University Made - The Tessen Speaker
Many of us stare at the night sky with wonder, the twinkling stars, shining nebulae, and the myriad of cosmic events happening every day and night playing out within and around Calynth and our star system, and all do so with good cause. Yet, few can deny that the heavens and the eternal void above our heads do not hold great sway over both our imagination and our faiths, with dozens of religions, cults, ideologies, and more fascinated, devoted, and dedicated to decyphering the mysteries lying above our heads, locked away within the heavens we cannot, our more accurately until now: couldn't, reach. Ultimately, numerous secrets stumped many of those very same people dedicated to the study of the stars and skies, the ring of asteroids around Calynth indicating a moon where there couldn't be one, the wandering lights that are neither satellite nor follow orbital paths, the geysers of the outer gas giants spewing molten lava on frozen planets, and the eternally burning ovoid planet baking near our sun, all things that have been studied for generations, and yet no answer could be found. Yet, Three-Point managed to unravel one of those mysteries after years of research: the gravity fluctuations of Mes. While the Eyeless Moon stands silent vigil beyond their smaller celestial brethren for most of their dancing cycle, the smaller moon has been known to defy their patterns occasionally. Without rhyme or reason, its internal gravity shrinks and grows randomly, throwing off its orbital paths without ever coming anywhere near a collision course with Calynth. Finally, the reason, or the suspected reason, has been unveiled by Three-Point: Artifical Structures on Mes itself! This find, unearthed due to tectonic movements, confirms that the Ancient Nations had the means to achieve orbital and interplanetary voidflight, with their sight set on constructing permanent structures on our moons! Though initiated attempts to ping the machine-minds on Mes have met with failure or have been ignored, this news has sent an enormous wave throughout both Forge-Clans and astronomers alike, predictions proven and theories confirmed. What will result from the fallout remains to be seen.
(Read more on pages 15-16)
Mass Meteor Fall Observed Near The Shattered Citadel - The Truthful Observers
Several dozen of the asteroids in our asteroid belt have, due to collisions and decaying orbital paths, descended unto Calynth, with their impact sites charted and evacuated barely hours before the masses of rock and metal crashed down. Though nobody was hurt, their impact near the Shattered Citadel Necropolis has spooked both Machine and Mutant inside and within the surrounding territories, heightening both the alarm of the Military and leading to a flood of contracts for mercenaries and the Adventurer Guild alike. But while fighters and soldiers begin the challenging and arduous task of clearing the monsters settling into zones already claimed by humanity, miners, smiths, metallurgists, Forge-Clan members, and many more professions aside have begun to trek to the sites of the meteorites to take advantage of the bounty from the stars. One of them has been confirmed to be near-pure neuionum in makeup, and so has already been surrounded by enterprising laborers, craftspeople, and merchants hoping to make it rich with the easy-access source of military material such a find provides. After all, mining it straight from the source is more manageable than scraping it together from hulks of destroyed or abandoned machinery and ancient military vehicles within the Wastes or a Necropolis!
(Read more on page 22)
Mercenary Company, "Tailors of the Burned Skies," Pursuing Work In Tessen - Rags, Rumors, And Rants
The nearly five-hundred-year-old mercenary company, "Tailors of the Burned Skies," have arrived within Tessen to much rumor and speculation, their hallowed and decorated Knights accompanied by War and Scout Lizards of exceptional lineages adorned by expertly crafted armors. Yet, at the same time, over five-thousand foot soldiers march in unison aside those machines of death, to the awe and fear of the locals and evil-doers, respectively! The company leader, Agatel Lh-a has negotiated a temporary place for their company near Strul, eliciting both a swathe of jokes about the city being remembered by outsiders, and excitement for the locals, as the flood of soldiers-for-hire will undoubtedly lead to a massive increase in trade, safety, and access to rarer materials from Machines and Mutants killed during their stay. The reason for their visit to Tessen has been confirmed to be the desire to negotiate with House Dall to purchase several airships for the company. As Agatel Lh-a remarked to one of our journalists: "We can't call ourselves the
'Tailors of the Burned Skies' if we don't own the very same, now can we?" Indeed, an excellent reason to visit and a sign that the young Prevter House is attracting ever more attention as news about the economic boons of their airships spreads, especially now, due to the initiation of a significant expansion of their harvesting operations within the Rusting Forest.
(Read more on page 18)
***
Region Report/s
Construction of our projects continues at a steady pace, with routine and familiarity increasing our speed once more across the board, especially as ties between the locals and us are beginning to pay off in familial connections and lowered guards against us within portions of the city where our reach does not (yet) extend. The Houses have been relatively easy-going these last few months. However, the local Forge-Clans, mainly Aes and Calor, are beginning to make a commotion, a dispute about mining drills and power equipment between the three Clans spiking anger and having already led to multiple incidents of physical violence among their numbers. Still, full members have yet to be part of those incidents.
In other news, rumors have it that the portions of the lowest levels connecting to the mines and the Necropolis are gradually being taken over by the Verdant Children, their members, and agents seen all around the districts below in far greater numbers than in living memory. We can only speculate what they are doing or why, but no rise in deaths or missing people has been noticed. We are keeping an eye out for any indication that they are up to some shady stuff, but otherwise, it seems that they are merely being far more proactive in their recruitment now.
***
Spy-Network:
The Marquess of Tessen is assessing the new budget for the coming decade, alongside a renewal of the contracts to the Guard forces of the Region.
House Ulatarn proudly announced the finishing of the new Headquarters for Disease Control, a dozen highly educated biochemists, biologists, and virologists having been hired to study, investigate, and, if needed, help contain and develop vaccines against new diseases.
House Mirn has initiated a drive to beautify its namesake city, cleaning up many districts and repairing much of the infrastructure. The Mutated Slums haven't been ignored as nearly all had assumed, with much of the refuse, dirt, and overbuilt ruins removed.
The Military has begun a slight draw-down of its oldest veterans, settling them within offices or sending them back to their families with pensions in their pockets.
The Adventurer Guild is starting its usual business again, with much hustle and bustle from low-level jobs replacing the regular pace of slow-going high-ranking contracts.
The Followers of Light praise the Pilgrims' efforts to give the dispossessed and cast-out children of the Region a place to stay and grow up in, urging their adherents to consider adopting if they have the means to raise another child. This mainly translates to an aggressive leaflet campaign for homosexual couples and families to adopt.
The Lost continue with their lives, working to redeem themselves from imagined failures or to lessen the weight upon their souls and minds from sins done in their past.
Dirty Daggers are operating quietly, their rackets not acting overtly in their dealings. However, the smuggling of medical commodities has increased due to the arrival of the Mercenary Company.
The Family has, surprisingly, made an overt bid on the outer edges of the Region against a tiny first-gen Noble Family, arguing in the Imperial Courts that a member of their organization is the righteous owner of the lands due to legalistic minutia and presented documents. Not as overt as that, but that is the gist. However, it is anyone's guess why they bothered arguing in the first place, as the family has quickly gathered much support among higher-ranking noble families banding together against "uppity thieves and commoners."
The Common People complain about the High Summer, rising prices of luxuries, the changes in weather, too much wind, not enough wind, the ugly cat in their street, the way new books are trash now, etc.
The Mutated are pleasantly surprised by House Mirn's actions. However, other communities are more concerned with the struggle of their daily life, as the prices of commonly used medicines to alleviate everyday aches, pains, and deficiencies from their Mutations are rising in price. Nothing unusual, the High Summer has always been a time when trade slowed down due to the heat and the breeding cycle of the various animals ending, resulting in more attacks on villages and travelers from new parents seeking food for their newborns.
